


Count The Ways

by Assassin_J



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternative Universe- Everyone's Alive, Amputee Desmond Miles, Background Femslash, Background Layla/Deanna, Cuddling, Fluff, LGBTQ Characters, Modern Assassins (Assassin's Creed), Multi, Polyamory, Zine: This Is Our Time (Assassin's Creed)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25168432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assassin_J/pseuds/Assassin_J
Summary: five Assassins cuddling in a bed, zero feet apart because they're not straightOriginally published inThis Is Our Time.
Relationships: Clay/Desmond/Lucy/Rebecca/Shaun
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	Count The Ways

"How do I love ye? Let me count the ways," Clay said early one morning as they were cuddling in their wide expanse of a bed, surrounded by soft cotton sheets and blankets.

"Are you quoting Shakespeare? Cheesy," Desmond said, smirking. He was spooned up directly behind Clay, with Lucy behind him.

"It's Elizabeth Barrett Browning, you tit," Shaun corrected. He was snuggled next to Rebecca, who had her face nuzzled in Clay's chest as he played with her hair.

Desmond laughed. "Right of course, I always mix those two up!"

"She was an ally of the Assassins, did you know?" Shaun said, rubbing Rebecca's shoulder softly. "The Florence branch; she lived in Italy for the last fifteen years of her life."

"Aah, babe, I love how excited you get about your special interest, but I don't really want to hear about Assassin history stuff right now," Rebecca said drowsily.

"Also I thought it was 'How do I love **thee** '," Desmond said.

"'Thee' is singular, 'Ye' is plural," Clay explained.

"Although, much like 'you', it later began to be used more freely," said Shaun.

"Can we drop the grammar talk and get back to the romance?" Lucy asked, laughing. "So Clay, there's many many ways you love us?"

"Yeah," Clay said, turning and stretching his arm out around behind Desmond to run fingers through her hair. "To the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, even."

Desmond kissed Clay's nose. "And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly," Desmond said solemnly, though grinning.

Lucy snorted a laugh.

"Hey, it's modern-day poetry," said Desmond.

"Reciting memes can be one way of showing love, yeah," said Rebecca.

"Ooh, ooh!" Shaun said excitedly, adjusting his glasses. "How about, 'Here come dat polycule, oh shit whaddup?'"

"Stale memes don't count," Rebecca said, moving to smirk at him. "That one's years out of date."

Clay came to Shaun's defense. "What, and Cascada's 'Everytime We Touch' is super current?"

"Let's not argue," Lucy ordered, sitting up authoritatively. "Shaun, I for one very much enjoyed that, even if it's not the freshest meme around." She brushed a hand over her bedhead to straighten it a bit.

"I very much enjoy how your boobs look from this angle," Clay said to her.

"Yeah," Shaun agreed. "They're lovely from any angle, really, but this is a nice one."

Desmond nodded. "Although I gotta say I love Rebecca's just as much."

"Yeah, size doesn't matter," Clay said, giving Rebecca a kiss on her head and a little hug.

Rebecca cooed in delight and pulled him a bit closer. Lucy smiled and laid herself down again, pillowy breasts nudging against Desmond's arm.

Above them, rain pattered white-noisily on the roof.

"Sounds like it's another wet and grey day," Shaun said.

"We're in the right place for it, at least," Rebecca said. "A nice big bed, plenty of covers, and plenty of lovers to share body heat with." She snaked her free arm out to pull Shaun closer.

Desmond glanced at the wall. "Layla's making waffles. We'll have to get outta bed for that."

"Your Eagle Vision can tell that it's waffles specifically?" Shaun asked.

"It's real real good."

"Are you joking, or-"

Desmond laughed. "I'm joking. She told me last night she'd make waffles for their anniversary."

"She and Deanna, has it been a whole year already?" Shaun asked, pulling the red blanket higher up over his goosebumped shoulder skin.

"Officially, yeah," Clay answered. "Unofficially, with the mutual pining and shit, been a lot longer."

Desmond curled his left arm around Lucy and then, with a barely-noticeable effort, he got his prosthetic arm around Clay. "The drawback of being in a polycule is, we don't have just the one simple anniversary."

"Hm, yeah," Clay agreed. "I don't even remember anymore how we got into this setup. But I sure love it regardless."

"Well, me and Bex were together since a long time ago," Lucy recalled. "Then she wanted to bring Shaun in, casual basis at first."

"Was that before or after I got back from Abstergo?" Desmond asked.

"Before, I'm pretty sure."

"Before, yes," Shaun said, chuckling. "It was 'coworkers-with-benefits' for a bit." The awkwardness of the first time all three of them had come to bed together was something he'd never forget.

"Then me and Des entered the mix," Clay said, smooching Desmond's forehead right under the tight curls of his hair. "And the rest is history."

"Cheers to that," Shaun enthused. "And a mostly nice history, all things considered."

"Mostly nice, sorta, kinda," Desmond said softly, his mouth drooping.

"Don't get all bummed out, my guy," Rebecca told him. She reached across Clay and stroked Desmond's face. "No matter what happened before, we're all alive and thriving now."

"And there's waffles awaiting us," Lucy added with a smile. 

" **If** we ever decide to get outta bed," Clay added to her addition.

* * *

Desmond loves the way Shaun's eyes dance and gleam when he's fired up about history, whether it's a part of history he loves or a part of history he loathes.

Shaun loves the way Desmond will come up with some unexpected insight when Shaun's at his wit's end trying to solve something.

Rebecca loves Clay's sense of humor, combining obscure cultural references with modern memes.

Lucy loves the little hand gestures Shaun makes when explaining something, even something like a super-risky mission.

Clay loves Rebecca's super-soft hair, loves to run his fingers through it while murmuring sweet nothings into her ear.

Rebecca loves the way Lucy's arm muscles move as she types a report to Gavin, or as she lifts a box of supplies.

Desmond loves the way Lucy can take down an enemy with such grace it seems more akin to ballet than murder.

Shaun loves Clay's smile, the brilliant way it sparkles and complements the rest of his face.

Rebecca loves Desmond's cooking skills, which he has in abundance and go along well with his bartending. The Assassins don't have a lot of fancy ingredients available, but somehow he can always make a bland recipe into something memorable.

Lucy loves Desmond's tender touches, on her face, on her breasts, on her thighs, on the scar crossing her torso. "I'm so sorry," he's said, dozens of times, even though they both knew it was Juno controlling his body.

Rebecca loves the way Shaun _kisses_ ; he starts off slow and cautious, but once he gets into it, he goes _hard_ with those lips. 

Clay loves Desmond's determination, his positivity even when things look bleakest, his roll-with-the-punches attitude to life's hardships. Hell, he'd barely even frowned when learning he'd need the arm amputated. "Go ahead, do what needs doing," he'd replied to the doctor. "I laid my life on the line, so an arm is like nothing."

Lucy loves Clay's mind, his sharp observations, his quick decisions. He can draw up a detailed mission strategy in practically no time flat, which comes in handy when Shaun is waffling between multiple options.

They all love each other, in so many many ways.


End file.
